In recent years, a thick layer of toxic smog has covered Zhou’s home city of Taipei. Deadly viruses plague the city and the government is unwilling, or unable, to help those suffering from rampant pollution, poverty, and disease. For the you, whose extreme wealth allows them to purchase special protective suits and thus a longer, healthier life, society’s problems are easy to ignore. But for the rest of the population, the mei, life in Taipei is brutal and short.

This readalike is in response to a customer's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading recommendations, fill out the book-match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. Available for adults, teens, and kids. You can browse the book matches here.

In the wake of the Nazi invasion of Amsterdam, Hanneke Baker tries to attract as little attention as possible. She is one of the best black market smugglers in the city, able to charm shopkeepers and soldiers alike while keeping the true nature of her work a secret from her concerned parents.

For those of us who love nature and the outdoors, there are few things more satisfying than making the world a better place for local wildlife. Learning about wild animals and how to protect them is a joy for kids and families who are avid animal lovers!

This summer, the library is pleased to welcome The Wildlife Center of Virginia at our special upcoming Building a Wild World events. Join us to meet some of the animals that make Virginia their home and learn about ways that we can help protect their habitats. Sign up for these events begins June 1. Grades K-6.

If you’re going to be a thief, the first thing you need to know is that you don’t exist.

Tina and her mother fled the Congo as refugees, trading their war-torn village for the vibrant metropolis of Sangui City. Life was supposed to get better. Their new home, the City of Saints and Thieves, was supposed to be safe.

But when Tina finds her mother dead in the private study of her employer, Mr. Greyhill, she knows just who is to blame. The Greyhill family is hiding something behind their wealth. And Tina’s mother knew their secret.

The sun is shining, birds are singing, and love is in the air! As Valentine’s Day approaches, join us in celebrating this love-ly holiday at one of our Grow a Reader: Be My Valentine specials. We’ll enjoy stories, songs, and activities perfect for children ages 2-5 with a caregiver. Daycares are welcome!

After a freezing winter, the summer’s stifling heat has everyone on edge. Poverty is on the rise, and the city’s finances are in ruins. Arsonists set buildings on fire, seemingly at random, while a serial killer nicknamed Son of Sam shoots dark-haired young women and their companions on the street.

In Burn Baby Burn, Meg Medina brings these notorious events to life with the story of Nora Lopez, a 17-year-old high school senior living in Queens. Though she's living through a horrific period of New York history, Nora is just trying to make it through to graduation and escape her disastrous living situation.

Rumors of a civilization in the clouds have flowed for thousands of years. From classical mythology to medieval tales of women falling from the sky, the name Magonia was once whispered throughout the world. Now, though, the legend is nearly lost. The world has forgotten Magonia.

But Magonia has not forgotten the world.

Below the clouds, Aza Ray Boyle cannot breathe. She is drowning in air, suffering from a mysterious lung disease that makes it difficult to run, to speak, to live. So when Aza sees a ship floating in the sky, everyone thinks it’s a side effect of her many medications. The foreboding hallucination of a dying teen.